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Matthew W. Kirkland
Personality In one word: chill. With a generally soft spoken voice and an almost excessively polite demeanor, Matthew Williams Kirkland is one easy-going bloke. He has that sort of personality that is as easy(too easy, almost) to ignore or overlook as it is easy to appreciate. His sense of humor, though often self-deprecatory, and his level head, though occasionally not level at all, keep his blood pressure low and his smile quietly content. Friendly, tolerant, obedient, and helpful, Matthew is the type of guy you'd like to have as a project partner. You forget he exists every once in a while, but once you find him again, you can count on the fact that he'll be as generous, kind, and reliable as before. Despite his height and sturdy enough build, he'd rather avoid unneeded conflict, thank you very much. Run into him in the hallway, knock him over, and send all his papers flying. Watch what happens. Like clockwork, Matthew will be the one saying, "Oh, I'm sorry", and "Are you okay?", over and over again as if it were some sort of mantra. You probably did it on accident anyway. No one really bothers to seriously start a fight with Matthew Kirkland. I mean, why would you? His it's-all-good-in-the-neighborhood pacifist vibes are as contagious as the common cold. (Mistaking him for his twin brother Alfred is an entirely different matter.) Well, just because it's not common practice to go around kicking the shit out of Matthew Kirkland doesn't necessarily mean that he's always treated the way he should be. As previously stated, Matthew is unfortunately really forgettable to most of the population. Sometimes people ignore his presence completely. Hell, even his great white owl, Kumajirou, forgets his face sometimes. Additionally, he'll take a lot of crap for the sake of keeping the peace, or simply for the sake of loyalty. It's just the way he is. But eh, Matthew's used to it. He'll take a lot of crap, but he's not going to like it. He's still human. Push him around enough, and he will retaliate. Gentle as he is, Matthew has bit of a sarcastic bite to him. If you somehow manage to truly piss Matthew off, he can and will verbally tear you a new one. There's also the fact that he is still a fellow of tall disposition with a surprising tendency to fancy dangerous creatures and violent, competitive sports of both the muggle and wizarding variety. His reflexes and dueling skills aren't exactly top notch, but they're certainly enough for him to defend himself or to fight for what he believes in. Fight mode Matthew is still a rarity though. It would be much more pleasant to simply nap the anger(or that elbow jab he got to the side because he resembles Alfred from the back ''goddamnit Alfred--'') away, obviously. He's extremely fond of naps. Background For the past sixteen years of his entire existence, Matthew Williams Kirkland lived the life of the 'good son'. A child of a prestigious wizarding bloodline born in London, England, Matthew Williams Kirkland always minded his manners. He always attentively listened to his guardians and overseers, whether they were his father, his nannies, his tutors, or even his older, much more rebellious twin brother, Alfred. Matthew always complied with most of the wishes asked of him. In fact, he was such a nice boy, such a sweet and compliant child, that no one ever really paid him much attention. As the norm went for almost all wealthy, ambitious, and powerful pureblood families in the UK, the Kirkland family had a history of being a tad - intense, to put it politely. Ever since the death of his mother, who passed away shortly following the birth of the Kirkland twins, Matthew's father Arthur Kirkland more or less re-married to his career in the Ministry of Magic. As soon as that happened, Alfred took up the position as Hell Raiser of the household. Their adoptive hyperactive baby brother Peter quickly rose in the ranks as Hell Raiser Jr. Everyone was too busy screaming or blowing up or something in the Kirkland abode to notice well-mannered Matthew. It was if his family members absorbed all the LOUD AND CRAZY in the bloodline and left him so normal that it was abnormal how ....normal he was. His caretakers had the nasty habit of forgetting to call him for supper or wake him up from his naps, but were fond and affectionate to him - when they remembered to be anyway. His uncle visited to teach him French language and cuisine, and sent him books and play things, but very rarely; and anyway, receiving anything from his uncle upset his father a great deal. In turn, his father was so caught up in his work at the Ministry and with dealing Alfred's attention seeking behavior that he had no time to spend on Matthew. And his twin brother himself? Well, Alfred bullied him to join in on one of his silly little adventures on some days, but on most days would find him too boring and would instead play on his own. While his brothers caused chaos within the household and overshadowed his presence almost completely, Matthew spent his time exploring in the gardens and beyond with a toy broom, or in the study with a book, always with his stuffed white bear Kumajirou in his grasps. It was during those moments alone that Matthew took on an interest in mythical creatures, like dragons and centaurs and house elves, and the many plants of herbology – forms of life that were something other than the humans who seemed to act as if he were invisible. Not to say he was without friends, however. He did have them, as pleasant and agreeable as he was. Other children seemed to appreciate his almost fanatical love for quidditch and his ability to hit things with heavy, blunt objects in games really, really hard as well. Hey, all that hidden resentment and frustration pent up towards his family had to go somewhere, right. Muttering under your breath and making snide comments will only get you so far. When the Kirkland boys entered Hogwarts, nothing much changed. As it was during his childhood, Matthew allocated most of his time outside with the creatures near the forest and in the greenhouse. Students, professors, and creatures alike confused him as his extroverted brother all the time, but classes were brilliant and new friends were made. Matthew was far from becoming Sir Popular, but prestige like that never once appealed to him and never would. If he did his best in class, received decent grades on the O.W.Ls and N.E.W.T.S, and most importantly, got the opportunity to care after magical creatures and attend quidditch matches, that'd be more than enough for him. Despite that easy going mindset, Matthew did all that he could to please his father, who gradually increased his presence in the boys' lives and wished only the best for his sons. Unfortunately, Alfred refused to see Arthur's sudden appearance and guidance in a positive light. Animosities grew between his fiercely independent brother and strict father until his brother eventually just up and ran away. In an effort to appease Arthur after such a blow to the family pride, Matthew entered Pre-Auror classes and attempted to better himself in the Defense and Dark Arts. Unfortunately, his proficiency in those fields were average at best and Arthur continued to overlook him. Still though, Matthew tried and tries still to prove himself. Really, Matthew's dream is to open some sort of sanctuary for dragons and other misunderstood (HUGE, SNOW AFFILIATED) magical creatures. He'll get to that eventually. 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